Here are our favourite fun carnival party foods ideas for a carnival or circus themed party, that would also be perfect for a 4th July party! Incorporating all the traditions and nostalgia, we hope you enjoy these festival themed party foods, appetizers and snacks ideas!
Keep scrolling down to see all of our quick carnival recipes! 👇🏻
1. Twinkie cake corn dogs
Try these fun 'corn dog' themed desserts for your carnival themed bash! These are super quick and easy to make in only 5 mins, using Twinkie cakes, and are great to create a standout display for your party.
Guests will love these and enjoy the novelty - they are the perfect easy treat to make to generate a huge buzz!
You will need
● 6 Twinkies
● ¼ cup red decorating icing
● ¼ cup yellow decorating icing
● Bamboo skewers
1. Gently unwrap each Twinkie and insert a wooden skewer into one end to create the “corn dog” handle.
2. Lay the skewered Twinkies on a flat surface or tray.
3. Using red icing, pipe a wavy line across the top of each Twinkie to resemble ketchup.
4. Repeat with yellow icing to mimic mustard. You can do both colours or just one—your choice!
Top tip! Lay each one atop a cupcake case to serve, to protect the cakes and catch any crumbs.
2. Our ultimate carnival pasta salad
This colourful and vibrant dish will be sure to catch attention for a carnival themed party or for a 4th July or Memorial Day celebration! You could serve in mini pots or cups and even make some cut out cheese stars using a mini cookie cutter.
Serves: 6-8 Prep time: 20 minutes Chill time: 1 hour
Every bbq or cookout this summer needs a pasta salad and this one is also perfect for all those summer holidays!! Red, white and blue pasta gets tossed with pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, onion and bell pepper to create a patriotic side that will wow your guests!
You will need
• 16 ounce box of short pasta (I used Cellentani)
• 2-3 drops red food coloring
• 2-3 drops blue food coloring
• 1 cup mini pepperoni
• 1 cup cubed mozzarella cheese
• ½ small red onion, diced
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 16 ounces italian dressing (just not a creamy kind)
1. Boil your pasta al dente according to box directions. Drain and set aside.
2. To a large ziploc bag add 3 drops of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon of water. Repeat with another bag and the blue food coloring. Divide your pasta into three equal portions.
3.
Place one portion in the bag with the red food coloring.
Place another portion in the bag with the blue food coloring.
Set the remaining portion aside.
Gently toss the pasta around in the sealed ziploc bags until the pasta is all evenly colored. Set aside to really soak in for about 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl add the the pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, onion and bell pepper.
Add the italian dressing and stir to combine.
Add the white pasta to the bowl and stir to combine.
Rinse the blue pasta and red pasta to remove any excess color.
Add the red and blue pasta to the bowl.
Then toss gently to combine everything.
Chill for an hour and serve!
Tips and Tricks! Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 days.
Add any vegetables you like, celery, olives, banana peppers, anything you like.
You can add some red pepper flake to spice this up.
Use any cheese you like.
You can use salami instead of pepperoni if you prefer.
3. Hot dog sparklers
These epic hot dog sparklers would be perfect for a carnival, festival or circus themed party or even a 4th July party, BBQ party or Bonfire Night celebration! Guests will adore the novelty and they are so quick and easy to make too.
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Serves: 8
You will need
● 8-pack hot dogs
● 1 can crescent roll dough
● 8oz Colby Jack and/or cheddar cheese, sliced ¼” thick Also needed:
● 8 wood skewers
● Small 1.5” star cookie cutter
1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
2. Pat the hot dogs dry with a paper towel—this helps the crescent dough stick better.
3. Unroll the crescent dough and pinch the seams together to form one solid sheet.
4. Cut the dough into 8 thin strips.
5. Wrap one strip around each hot dog, leaving the top end exposed for the cheese
star.
6. Place the wrapped hot dogs on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or
parchment paper.
7. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and puffed.
8. Allow the hot dogs to cool slightly, then insert a skewer into the bottom of each
one.
9. Use a small star-shaped cookie cutter to cut stars from the sliced cheese.
10. Gently press a cheese star onto the top of each skewer to create the sparkler
effect.
4. Hot dog tater tot bites 👈🏻
Lil Smokies Tater Tot Bites are the ultimate party appetizer or afternoon snack—crispy, cheesy, and full of flavour. They're easy to make, fun to eat, and guaranteed to disappear fast! These would also be so great for a carnival theme, as a BBQ party appetizer or movie night party food.
5. No bake banana split pie 👈🏻
This no bake banana split pie looks super impressive and contains all of our favourite toppings - full of banana pudding, crushed pineapple, cherries and cream, it's decked out with hot fudge, nuts and rainbow sprinkles, perfectly resembling the iconic ice cream, just in no bake pie form. It's the perfect retro inspired party dessert that is bound to make guests 'ooh' and 'aah'!
6. Mini Strawberry Pies 👈🏻
These look complex but are so quick and easy to make - plus look stunning on the party table! They are perfect for a picnic spread or strawberry themed birthday party or baby shower and take only 4 ingredients. They are great to make at home with your little helpers and they are so cute! You could even swap the filling out for cherry, blueberry... there are so many options! Strawberry pie is one of the best desserts, but making it into a mini version is even better!
7. Lemon Meringue Pie dip 👈🏻
This recipe serves 6, comes together in 20 mins (plus chill time of 2 hours) with a few simple ingredients and tastes amazing! This refreshing treat will be the hit of any get together. The tangy, sweet lemon dip is topped with luscious meringue and served with pie crust chips for dipping.
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